Employment Pathways are not Working
The Approach
MemWorks utilizes a place-based approach that combines deep domain expertise with a strong understanding of the Memphis context. Rather than starting with solutions, MemWorks seeks to develop a holistic understanding of the roadblocks that hinder employment pathways and why they occur. This objective understanding will enable targeted solutions to address the roadblocks.
The approach is divided into three phases over an 18-month timeline. The first two phases combine data analysis with the voices of individuals experiencing poverty to tell the stories of employment challenges and successes in Memphis. In the third phase, we will collaborate with workforce stakeholders to use this knowledge to implement action plans for the needed interventions.
Data Analysis
Develop an analytical understanding of the workforce development ecosystem and the potential employment roadblocks in Memphis
Spring 2023
primary research
Highlight the lived experience of individuals experiencing poverty to understand real stories, build evidence for employment roadblocks, and begin to explore solutions
Fall 2023
action plans
Collaboratively design and implement evidence-based solutions to address the roadblocks that unlock the greatest opportunities
Spring 2024
About Us
MemWorks is a collaboration that pairs MDRC’s expertise in advising policies that create pathways out of poverty with Slingshot’s deep understanding of the Memphis ecosystem. Our hope is that MemWorks creates a
place-based model that supports systemic change and more effectively
fights poverty in Memphis and in other communities across the nation.
- Nearly 50 years of rigorous research with nonprofits and government agencies across the nation
- Deep knowledge of research techniques and the evidence space
- Domain expertise across the education continuum, work and income security, and specific populations like returning citizens
- Three-decade history of evaluating career & technical education programs across the U.S.
- Strength in synthesizing large amounts of data and communicating insights across domains and geographies
- Deep understanding of the Memphis poverty- fighting ecosystem
- Analytical understanding of the challenges facing those experiencing poverty in Memphis
- Conducted over 150 impact studies with more than 55 organizations
- Researched best practices and analyzed factors that create the greatest poverty-fighting benefits for workforce development
- Strong relationships with the local nonprofit and funding communities, as well as workforce stakeholders
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